Time Perspective and ICT Use: A Descriptive Study with Secondary School Adolescents

The literature addresses Time Perspective and technology use among adolescents in various ways. However, the existing body of research remains limited, with gaps in both descriptive and comparative dimensions. Accordingly, this study aimed to describe and compare Time Perspective, the Use of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) and Social Media, and Attitudes Towards Technology among adolescents, considering sex, type of course, and school year. The sample comprised 433 secondary school students aged between 14 and 19 years. Two instruments were employed: the Time Perspective Inventory (TPI) and the Media and Technology Usage and Attitudes Scale for Portuguese Youth (MTUAS-PY). Participants were generally more oriented towards the past; specifically, greater Future Orientation was observed among male students, while Past Orientation was more prevalent in regular-education courses, and a more Negative View of the Future was found among students in vocational courses. Smartphone Use emerged as the highest-scoring dimension within ICT and Social Media Use, whereas Accessibility and Ease received the highest scores in Attitudes Towards Technology. This study provides a nuanced overview of the secondary school adolescent population and identifies significant differences when considering academic tracks. These findings raise important considerations for future research, both in terms of factorial analysis and comparative approaches.